4.0 out of 5 stars
A Rosetta stone of South African music, July 8, 2002
This review is from: Caluza's Double Quartet, 1930 (Audio CD)
The Caluza group recorded several dozen songs in the early 1930s, and their style is unmistakably the precursor of the South African choral style of groups such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Black Umfolozi, which Paul Simon helped popularize in the 1980s. Stylistically, these recordings are similar to American jubilee gospel styles, although the harmonies and cross-melodies are distinctively South African. Led by a sometimes-plinky piano, the vocalists bring to life the compositions of Reuben Tholakele Caluza, a teacher at the ANC-related Ohlange Institute. Despite the churchy delivery, the lyrics deal with social hardships such as unemployment and police harassment which Africans suffered under the apartheid system. Fans of South African music should find this disc stunning; for the rest of us, it may be a bit dry.
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